Based on the latest scientific research, the volume provides a fascinating insight into the chemistry of herbs and their healing properties, explaining how and why they work as medicine within the body. The major herbal traditions practiced in different regions of the world Europe, India, China, Africa, Australia & America are vividly described and reviewed from a historical perspective, revealing the intimate connection between the growth of herbal medicine and the culture in which it is used. The studies presented by eminent scientists of India and abroad are first-hand in the areas of pharmacology, photochemistry, medical sciences and allied disciplines. Some interesting studies included are: Effect of Spooning extracts from Solanum anguivi Lam. fruits on serum cholesterol concentration of Albino Rats; Garlic and Tomato play beneficial role in the prevention of prostate cancer; Single cycle vector based antiviral screening. Assays for high throughput evaluation of potential anti-HIV medicinal plants. A pilot study on some Nigerian herbs; Sesquiterpene from five composite medicinal plants of western China; Potential of Indian species for their ant diabetic and nutraceutical value; Ethno- botany of Indian plant species used against snake-bite a review; Arthritis and herbs; Drug development from new molecules and genes from plants; Recent advances in herbal drugs with special references to Cassia tora; Advances in medicinal plants in diabetes treatment; A review on Semecarpus anacardium L. an anticancer medicinal plant; Phytosome a new herbal drug delivery system. The contributions are from far and wide including Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Nigeria, Turkey and Zimbabwe.